Radio astronomers have made groundbreaking discoveries using cutting-edge telescopes like the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and MeerKAT. These instruments are revealing faint cosmic objects that were previously invisible, including unstable stars, exploded stars, and mysterious objects outside our galaxy.
Using radio signals instead of light, researchers can observe the sky in a new way, noticing patterns of circles that reveal hidden structures of celestial objects. The extraordinary sensitivity of ASKAP and MeerKAT has led to the discovery of a “low surface brightness universe” – a realm where faint cosmic sources are re-emerging.
One notable example is Kýklos, a ghostly ring surrounding an unstable star, or Wolf-Rayet star, which is in its final stages of life. Another discovery includes Stingray 1 and Perun supernova remnants, formed when massive stars explode, leaving behind expanding shockwaves that create circular features.
The radio telescopes are also illuminating objects outside our galaxy, such as “radio ring” galaxies with mysterious origins and Odd Radio Circles (ORCs). These enigmatic objects can only be seen in radio light, adding to the ongoing quest for understanding the universe.
As researchers continue to study these newly discovered objects using the next generation of radio telescopes like ASKAP and MeerKAT, they are making progress toward unlocking the secrets of the low surface brightness universe.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/radio-telescopes-are-revealing-a-trove-of-faint-circular-objects-in-the-sky